Being a Mom is hard work, whether you have a newborn baby or 3 kids under 5. The issues faced by moms getting the kids through the day, can be stressful and can sometimes, be overwhelming – and that's on a "good" nights sleep!

You know you’re better for your family when you have energy, feel good and can be a good role model for them. So how do you get your energy back, and feel revitalized and healthy again?

Being a fitter mother can help not only your health and increase your energy levels so you don’t feel so kaput, but have an impact on how you manage your stress levels and how you feel about yourself. Remember exercise releases endorphins - endorphins make you happy - happy people don't get so stressed and lose their minds dealing with their daily issues and frustrations. Everybody wins!One type of exercise to try is CrossFit. It has the capacity to give you back your health, fitness and vitality. You know, the stuff that got away from you whilst looking after the kids or having your beautiful baby (hopefully you’re sleeping well)? Do you miss it? Is it time to do something for you (and your family too) and get back into it?This is where being fit comes in. Exercise is great for increasing your energy levels, and CrossFit provides a great way of getting in a good sweat while being time effective as well. So what is CrossFit?CrossFit is a whole body workout, which is stimulating, interesting and provides variety - just what you need to wake up your mind and increase your energy levels! CrossFit is not repetitive so you will never be bored and provides challenges suitable to your fitness level so you see constant results.CrossFit at CrossFit Tone provides a sanctuary in the morning or afternoon, where you can put the kids in the crèche, so you can focus on you and recharge your batteries! It’s your time to look after your health so you can be the best mom you can be!

Remember your no good sick, lethargic and unhealthy, to your family! Being a good role model means keeping yourself fit and healthy, so you can run around after your little ones and help them make the best life choices! Finally, CrossFit provides a social platform for moms in the same boat as themselves, to meet each other. This lets you vent about issues mother's face on a day to day basis and creates a sense of camaraderie amongst everyone! Some of the best friends you’ll make are at CrossFit because you share a sense of belonging and likeness with all your fellow crossfitters!

So if you're a mom, stressed out and looking to revitalise and get your fitness back on track, you can immensely benefit from CrossFit training.

Are you looking for the best CrossFit gym to suit you? CrossFit Tone is a women’s only CrossFit gym, which understands the needs of moms and their bubs. Drop the little ones off in our crèche (at no extra cost to membership) and get your fitness, health and mind back into shape with CrossFit Tone.

CrossFit Tone is located in Brookvale and is Sydney’s premier CrossFit gym for women. Interested in a trial? Try our 2 week unlimited access Pink Pass with crèche for just $44 (up to $135 value). See how great you can feel in just 2 weeks trying CrossFit at our exclusive women’s gym!

From a young age I can remember having a difficult relationship with food. I can honestly say I do love food. I love eating, like most people I think it brings back comforting feelings of childhood days, Christmas feasts, Birthday love. However, the problem with eating and eating a lot is that you gain weight. Eat the wrong foods and you become sick. Sick, depressed, lethargic, tired and unhappy. To throw another spanner in the works I have always loved exercise. I played many sports growing up and was the kid that did 3 different team sports on Saturday morning (sorry parents). By my teens I was deeply involved in rowing, competing at a high level. Although I was extremely fit, the weight was slowly creeping up throughout my teenage years despite hours a day of exercise. How could this be? Sure in my teenage years my diet was by no means perfect but energy in vs. energy out should have seen me a lean athletic figure instead of a podgy (but very fit) teenager.Once I left school the situation worsened. I was still rowing but my body composition was not changing. Then I stopped rowing. I lost all my muscle and was about 70kg. I am 164cm tall. My body composition was probably about 32% body fat (this is a guess but I’m going to say it’s pretty accurate from doing many body fat percentages on other people). I was depressed, sick all the time – like cold and flu sick, unhappy and probably depressed. I went on a strict calorie counting diet and started going to the gym. This shaved off some of the weight but I had a layer of podge. I was still battling IBS, bloating and constant stomach cramps where the cause was a complete mystery. I just considered them normal. Something that I just had to deal with. I also pooped only once a week. Once I found out this was not normal, I saw a gastrologist. She couldn't find any internal problem and told me to eat more fibre. Fibre from wholemeal bread and muesli.

What was I eating in those days? I had a ‘healthy’ breakfast of muesli, low fat yogurt and fruit, then a sandwich with wholemeal bread with margarine, chicken and salad, and a small serving of pasta with vegetable bolognaise sauce. These were wholefoods? No processed foods? Enough fibre for me to poop non-stop for days rights? Nope, I’d been completely misguided by the national food guideline and even a medical professional. Eat x amount of calories, lots of whole grains, low fat and you will lose weight and be the picture of health. I was pretty sick, my intestines were a mess and I was in constant pain from it. The funny thing is I don’t think I realized how sick or how much pain I was actually in at the time because I never realized how good your body is meant to feel.

Cue paleo, CrossFit and PT days. Because of my love of exercise and the fact I was coaching rowing, I decided to become a personal trainer while I was finishing my business degree. Little did I know it would set the course for my future career and my health. Everything I was taught about nutrition even in my PT course was blown apart by a colleague who gave me the 411 on nutrition. He basically taught me about paleo and convinced me to try it for a month. I can tell you I was pretty pissed at the start because ALL of what I ate was the opposite of paleo! What the hell am I supposed to eat for breakfast? I almost lost my mind when he told me to eat steak and vegetables. FOR BREAKFAST???? I am the classic example of someone being brainwashed by big business. Once I thought about it I realized its brilliance! The manufactures of cereals revolutionized breakfast and how we as a society eat, and then monopolized on it. They then went on to bastardize everything that is actually good for you, foods which you should eat for breakfast for example, eggs and bacon. It was very smart. Except its making us all sick.

Once I tried paleo. I never went back. I will eat a typical dinner for breakfast no problem. I discovered that gluten and I are the worst of friends, but I tolerate diary. I know when I eat something with gluten or heaps of refined carbs and sugar because I feel pretty terrible. I have discovered cooking! Making toast and cereal aren’t really exquisite culinary skills but I can now create a mean roast chicken and veggies and also whip up awesome smoothies! P.s people love my paleo banana bread!

SO what do I look like now? I weight 64kg, with 15.99% body fat (I have 10kg of body fat and 47kg of lean muscle. My body fat percentage is quite low for a woman). I do CrossFit which means my muscle mass is much higher than my fat content. I have tonnes of energy, rarely get sick, poo twice a day, have no IBS or pains in my abdomen and feel light and vibrant. Because of this I focus on promoting the paleo diet or variations thereof to everyone and anyone who wants to listen. Some think it's a fad, which I completely understand. I think the difference here is the evidence. You see and feel the health benefits. If I could give my clients or anyone one piece of advise, it would be just try paleo for 30 days and see how you feel. See what happens to your body, your health, your moods and your life. Then you have a valid platform to say whatever you want about it. My story led me to promote the paleo way because I see and feel the difference it makes to my life. More than that I have numerous clients who feel the difference too. Although that's their story for them to tell! If you are serious about not just your weight but your health and longevity, what are you waiting for? Give paleo a go for 30 days, feel and see the difference and enjoy the benefits and richness it gives your life. Elle Belle